Weekend destination: Ice Hotel from Balea Lac, Sibiu County
Weekend destination: Ice Hotel from Balea Lac, Sibiu County
Before the winter gets farewell from us, enjoy the magic of the Balea Lake once again. If during the warm season, the Transfăgărăşan highway and the green-green peaks make a spectacular panorama, the landscape is even more beautiful in winter. For ten years, every winter, an ice hotel , as well as a bar and an ice church, is being set up in Balea Lake, being the first tourist attraction of its kind in Southeastern Europe.
How to get to the Ice Hotel in Balea Lake
To get to the Ice Hotel in Balea Lake you have to take the cable car from Balea Cascada . The Transfagarasan Road is closed after this point during the cold season, so you will have to leave behind the car.
Balea cable car
Balea Cable Car from Cascade operates every day from 9am to 17pm, and a climb costs 30 lei for adults and 15 lei for children. If you are planning to visit Bâlea Lac on a weekend, we recommend that you reach the cable car before 9 o'clock in order to avoid the huge queues.
Map Ice Hotel from Balea Lake
Do not forget to have your camera at your fingertips when you go by cable car because the panorama over the Fagaras Mountains is exceptional.
Balea Cascada
About the Ice Hotel at Balea Lake
The Ice Hotel at Balea Lake is set up every winter at 2,034 meters at the end of November or December, depending on the weather, and is open until March.
The hotel is made up of huge blocks of ice taken from the nearby Balea Lake. Those who want a truly exciting holiday can stay at the Ice Hotel. All the hotel's rooms have ice-carved furniture - a double bed, table and chairs, but the bed has thick mattresses and sleeping bags so you will not suffer from cold. The hotel also has several igloos for those who want more privacy. If you do not experience such an experience, you can go to one of the "ordinary" cottages in Bâlea Lac.
Ice Hotel Balea
Next to the Ice Hotel there is a bar and a restaurant made of ice blocks as well. Drinks and food here are served in glasses, that is, plates made from ice.
There is also a church, of course, of ice. The unusual worship place is sanctified by a group of priests of the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical, Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic Church. The ice church has a height of about 6 meters and the altar is beautifully decorated with ice sculptures. If you want an unforgettable experience, you can organize and marry in this church.
Ice Church - Balea Lac
Those who just want to visit the three ice buildings without accommodation will have to pay a 15 lei fee. You can visit the Ice Hotel every day from 9am to 17pm.
In addition to the ice structures, tourists can also practice winter sports at Bâlea Lac . The blacksmiths can make skiing or mountaineering on the snowy peaks.
Lake Balea
Accommodation in Bâlea Lac
If you want to spend a nice weekend at Bâlea Lac, you can choose from several types of accommodation:
Of course, you can stay at the Ice Hotel , where a double room costs about 452 lei per night;
You can stay at Bâlea Transfăgărăşan Complex ;
You can find a picturesque place of accommodation in Cârţişoara , at the foot of the Făgăraş Mountains.